I loved the writing. There’s so much to discuss with this one. But…there’s a lot that I’ve already seen before. Nothing really new in this one. And lots of questions remaining. But I did like it.

This book will be an unforgettable one for me & I'm sure many others. The characters had a lot of depth & even though you may not be rooting for them you still have empathy for the tragedies they go through. I was blown away by the ending. It's a story full of grief, loss, redemption.

I'm not sure what to say about this book that hasn't already been said. It was one of my favorite books I've read in a long time and one that I know is going to stick with me.

Broken Country is incredibly well-written and multi-faceted. I loved the idea of exploring what-ifs and what could have been. The Characters are interesting and well-developed. This story was a beautiful and heartbreaking piece of historical fiction. I simply cannot recommend it enough!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book had it all: Romance, mystery, character development, plot. I loved the experience of reading it and was sad when it was over. A must read!

~4.5, rounded down~
RECAP: Beth & her husband Frank live a quiet, happy life—until a neighbor’s dog is shot, reigniting a painful past. The dog belonged to Gabriel, Beth’s former love who has returned to the village with his young son, stirring memories of Beth’s own tragic loss. As old secrets & jealousies resurface, Beth must confront who she was and decide who she wants to be.

REVIEW: I added the extra half star at the end because I was starting to tear up. This was an emotional & layered story about complicated relationships & hidden secrets, spanning across dual timelines; even with the countryside setting, the feeling you get at times is far from idyllic. I think this reads like literary fiction with the tension of a slow-building mystery, which makes it more accessible when compared to other books in this genre. Towards the end, I found myself so invested in the conclusion and how things would work out for our characters - and I think that's a prime example of amazing and beautiful writing.

This book is getting soooo much love, and for good reason. It’s gripping, engaging, and bound to leave you feeling conflicted—both about the story and the characters. Pretty much all of the characters have major flaws, and I had a tough time with that at first, but honestly the story wouldn’t have worked as well as it did without these flaws and shortcomings.

👏 First, can we get a round of applause for Frank? He deserves the world and more!!

This book is very, very sad. Everyone should go in knowing that. It’s also not a thriller but it has that thriller appeal of being super engrossing and addicting. I can see why it’s so widely loved — definitely has broad appeal!

I love a morally gray situation in books. It makes me think about the human experience and how we all respond to things differently / make decisions based on our lived experiences.

At times, though, it was very tough for me to feel sorry for Beth and everything she was experiencing — even through the difficult circumstances she was navigating. I think that’s where my disconnect was. Like yes I appreciate how nuanced and complex this was but that still kind of held me back.

HOWEVER, I highly recommend this one for a good think + book club discussion. The animal stuff at the top is hard but it does make an impact on the story — I hate when animal cruelty feels included just because, but it didn’t feel that way here.

Again, Frank. 🥹👏

“Broken Country” by Clare Leslie Hall gets ALL THE STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😭

Thank you @simonbooks for a gifted copy of “Broken Country.” I read an advance copy via NetGalley and was absolutely thrilled to receive a trophy copy for my shelf. It’s out now and is the Reese’s Book Club March pick! (AND they featured my photo!$

This book came out of nowhere for me. I am pretty good at picking books I’ll love; that’s why you see so many rave reviews here.
When I read the synopsis, I was torn — only because of my own preferences. Love triangle and family drama?!! ✅✅ YES! Pastoral English village in the late 1960s? 🫥 Eh. So I was a bit apprehensive — but the book won me over immediately by diving right into the story. And I loved the farm setting! So if you’re also on the fence about “Broken Country,” absolutely pick it up.

Synopsis: “Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager — the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

“As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences.”

I was fully invested in both timelines (the book alternates between Beth’s teen and adult years). The emotions are masterfully woven into the story, making the relationships, backstories and drama feel like it was unfolding with people you actually know. This is a literary mystery, not a thriller, but I still found the twist at the end shocking. I also found the overall ending very satisfying. 💆🏼‍♀️

I absolutely devoured this book. The dynamics, the bit of thrill, the characters and the love triangle…chef’s kiss!

This story contains two timelines and switches between, 1955 and on and 1968. The author seamlessly ties these timelines together, using the past to build history towards the present.

There’s an alleged murder in town, but the author doesn’t share who the victim or alleged murderer is until the end of the book. She builds the characters and develops their relationships while leaving tiny morsels for us to devour until the end. The love, mystery and tension will keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC to read and review for this book.

Broken Country was so beautifully written and captured the multitude of ways that love shows up in our lives and deeply, irrevocably changes us - whether that's love for a child, a first love, an in-law, your hometown, or your lifelong partner. Broken Country slowly enraptures the reader with its a-linear timeline from Beth's perspective, bouncing back and forth between current day of 1968 and her youth as a high school junior/senior, as we watch her life unfold and unravel from every small choice that is made. I felt Beth's sorrow and grief, as well as her fleeting moments of love and joy, right from the beginning, and the author's writing carries the reader seamlessly through the heartbreaks (yes there are multiple) all the characters suffer. The reader is left hoping, just as Beth and her peers do, that maybe, just maybe, things will be fixed and improve the next time around.

Broken Country highlights the beauty and despair we all experience through life to varying degrees, and it is so raw and open that I found myself crying and smiling even when recounting the events to my friends and family. This is not a book to be missed, and it is worth every ounce of hype it is getting.

Beth and her husband, Frank, have a loving marriage. They live a quiet, pleasant life together on their farm. No one could foresee how their lives would change after her brother-in-law shoots a dog attacking their flock of sheep. The owner of the dog is none other than Gabriel, a man who Beth deeply loved when she was younger. Seeing Gabriel again evokes so many emotions for Beth - their relationship ended without true closure. To complicate matters further, Beth instantly takes a liking to Leo, Gabriel's son. Leo reminds Beth so much of her own sweet son, who tragically died years ago. As much as Beth vows that she will not become wrapped up in Gabriel and Leo's lives, she does and the consequences are unbearable.

Broken Country tells a story about how one action can put so many others into motion. I loved Beth, although I was internally screaming at some of the choices she made. But let's face it - life isn't that simple. We all have feelings and we all make decisions that impact others, and that's what made the characters in this story relatable to real life. Broken Country is a beautiful and heartbreaking story that provided an outlook of hope to the future. The end left me completely in tears (in the best way possible).

What a beautiful heartbreaking story!! It is truly no wonder I'm seeing this book everywhere. It's a perfect addition to Reese's book club picks. Thank you so much for allowing a Read Now option to read this book early. This is one of those examples of a "no notes" book. It's original, tragic, and brings the reader through so many emotions. 10/10

I really enjoyed this one - sad and tragic family story, with some romance and mystery thrown in. The author has a lovely way of storytelling and this is one that will stay with me for a while.

I am late to the party, but it would be a crime not to review Broken Country, the stirring love story by Clare Leslie Hall that can make even the hardest cynic weepy-eyed. My thanks go to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

The story is set in a small village in Britain during the mid-1900s. The setting bounces back and forth between the present day and the past; it’s easy to keep track of, partly because the author takes care to delineate which chapter is which, and partly because there are few characters to keep track of. Our protagonist is Beth, and she and her husband, Frank, are farmers, have lived in the same community for their whole lives. A farm accident claimed the life of their only child, Bobby, a few years before, but they are both still fragile, ragged in their grief.

Then, oh my my, who comes back to town but Beth’s old flame, Gabriel, a man that came from money and went on to make a name for himself as a novelist. Gabriel has inherited the family house and land, and in the wake of his divorce, has brought his son Leo to live here. Here. Right next door to Beth and Frank. And to complicate old feelings all the more, his son Leo is about the same age as Bobby was when he died.

Is it possible to be in love with two men at the same time? Beth would tell you that it is. Frank can see what is unfolding, and he tries to reason with Beth, but she assures him that everyone is grown up now, the past is the past, and there’s no reason that they and their new old neighbor cannot be friends.

Well.

I seldom reach for novels like this one, wary as I am of schmalz and schlock, but reader, I see none of either one in this story. The writing is disciplined and restrained, yet oh, so intimate. When a formula or trope comes into view, Hall goes the other way instead. And though I may have thought I knew where we would all end up, I was mistaken; the ending is beautifully planned and executed.

Because I had fallen a bit behind, I checked out the audio version from Seattle Bibliocommons; reader Hattie Morahan does a stellar job with the narration.

Highly recommended.

Broken Country is a beautifully layered, emotionally gripping novel set in 1960s rural England. It follows Beth, a farmer’s wife still grieving the loss of her child, whose life is thrown off balance when her first love, Gabriel, returns to town with his young son. His presence stirs up old feelings and painful secrets, especially as the boy reminds Beth of everything she’s lost.

The story moves seamlessly between past and present, exploring themes of grief, love, guilt, and the quiet heartbreak of choices made long ago. There’s also a slow-burning mystery woven into the plot, adding a compelling layer of suspense.

Clare Leslie Hall’s writing is lyrical and evocative, with characters that feel real and raw. If you love character-driven historical fiction with emotional depth and a touch of intrigue, this one is definitely worth reading.

I finished reading this book a few months ago and I still randomly think about it. I'm not sure what more could be said about this novel than what I've already seen...but regardless I loved it.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning, and was absolutely one of those books that I was constantly thinking about when I wasn't reading it, as I was so enthralled to find out how it would end. It gave me so many conflicting emotions throughout, which is one of the many reasons I found it to be so entertaining. This book had me in tears, complete shock and disbelief several times and somehow these people felt so genuine and real to me. This would absolutely be a book I wish I could read again for the very first time! This is easily one of the top 3 books I've read in 2025, and I believe will stay that way even with over half of the year still to go!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of Broken Country for review.

In theory everything about this book should have worked for me; it's exactly the type of book I usually end up loving! Literary - character driven narratives with complex and often messy romantic entanglement(s) usually make for a compelling story. Throw in the additional element of a murder trial and we've usually got ourselves a slam dunk. Honestly, that should have been the case here and I'm just as surprised as anyone else that this didn't work for me.

"This is a love story and it is better by far than, than any of the ones I have dreamed up in the past. If I'm allowed a wish, just one, then it is this: I wish for our story to have a happy ending."

Clare Leslie Hall hooks the reader with her opening sentence, "The farmer is dead, he is dead and all anyone wants to know is who killed him." It's an ominous start to what slowly reveals itself to be a sequence of tragic errors, the first of which is the return of the farmer's wife's first love, Gabriel Wolfe, a local aristocrat and now famous writer who has decamped from London to his family's long held country home. Having spent a whirlwind summer fling as teenagers, Gabriel was Beth's first love and heartbreak. She is drawn back into Gabriel's orbit when her brother-in-law mistakenly believes a stray dog to be attacking their flock of ewes and shoots it. The dog, of course, belongs to the newly returned Gabriel and his young son. What begins as a mild interest in rekindling a friendship with Gabriel and his young son, soon becomes something much darker as events of Beth's past are brought forth and the reader begins to have a wider understanding of her relationships both in the present and the past with two men - Gabriel - her first love and Frank - her husband.

If I'm being honest, the majority of this story felt too predictable to me. Beth's motivation for rekindling her friendship with Gabriel, her husband, Frank's apathy toward their relationship and the overall history between the three of them felt contrived and shallow - not a great way to make me invested in a doomed love triangle. I just couldn't get myself to care about Beth, Gabriel or Frank. Throw in that the primary conflict is lack of communication (a tale as old as time) and that the final reveal is both startlingly heartbreaking and infuriating - the whole thing just felt like one big unoriginal Greek tragedy. It's possible that I've just read too many books with similar storylines and conflicts that I felt were more believable than this, so Broken Country wasn't as impactful to me as a reader.

While this novel was a disappointment to me, I do think it's a great choice for a book club or group. There are plenty of topics to discuss - the familiarity and intimacy that comes with a long marriage, the overwhelming feelings of a first love, family sacrifice, class differences and of course the final conclusion of the overall story. I didn't love it, but many readers that I have similar reading tastes to have it on their favorites list for 2025.
If you read Broken Country, what did you think? Love it or Loathe it?

Absolutely enthralled with this story. Wonderful writing, realistic troubled characters, relatable issues, fantastic twists. Thr pacing was done well...I had so much tensions waiting for the bad stuff to happen and be revealed. I devoured this novel in 2 days and will eagerly read anything else she writes. Well done!

About a third of the book in and the title starts to makes sense.
The class distinctions of the main characters in the before time were a red flag , and while it’s easy to ignore the obvious drunken mother- not everything she says is untrue even if it is uncomfortable.

However by the midpoint I am stunned. The one thing I love about novels is the ability to openly judge characters for their choices and then change my mind.

OMG! I would give this book 10 starts if I could, a book about family, lost & found love, children, animals and just so many emotions. It did not end at all like I though. A Very moving read. Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After finishing Broken Country I would have amended Emily Dickinson’s line “The heart wants what it wants” differently. Instead of “or else it does not care” I would say that it will get whatever it wants, whatever the cost. This novel scrapes at the memory of youthful memories of long ago loves and how far we would have gone to get what our hearts wanted at the time.